Cholangiocarcinoma Treatments

ebroderick3
ebroderick3 Member Posts: 2 *
in Rare and Other Cancers #1

My husband was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma on June 2nd. The medical team initially thought they could perform a resection, but further scans revealed additional lesions on his liver, making the resection no longer an option.

After two hospital stays for infections and stabilizing his bilirubin levels, he began chemotherapy in mid-July. He started with durvalumab + gemcitabine and cisplatin, but the two-month scans revealed that the treatment was ineffective and the tumors had spread. His treatment was then switched to dabrafenib and trametinib (Tafinlar and Mekinist), but the results were the same after an additional two months. The medical team then switched him to Leucovorin + Adrucil + Eloxatin (Folfox).

I recently submitted his Foundation One results to the genomic focus website, which revealed Gleevac (a well-known lymphoma drug) and Keytruda. My question for those currently undergoing Folfox treatment is whether it is possible to receive Keytruda simultaneously. We feel that at this point, my husband has nothing to lose, so we are willing to try this option. He is a 51-year-old firefighter with four teenage daughters, and he is determined not to give up. Any advice from others in similar situations would be greatly appreciated.

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  • jamarisa
    jamarisa Member Posts: 1 *
    #2

    My husband had a successful Whipple but mets to the liver appeared two months later. He started gem/cis/durva and achieved NED for about two months. His tumor had no targetable mutations. Oncology told me immunotherapy didn't work so they were going to eliminate it. Thanks to info from the Choloangiocarcinoma Foundation, I pushed hard for Keytruda. Game changer. The cell of this cancer is unbreakable so the immune system can't learn its DNA and fight it. Thus the recurrence and "incurable" status. HOWEVER, histotripsy has just been approved for liver mets and it's showing great promise. We're currently trying to get it at Johns Hopkins. Ultrasound obliterates the tumor cells, killing them instantly, but the body can learn the genetic composition of the cancer as it flushes out the dead debris. They call it an abscopal effect. It's much more effective for colon cancer but CC patients can keep getting new tumors blasted as it is non invasive and doesn't damage the liver tissue. Look into that combined with Keytruda. Best wishes

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